Sacrifice
by mashimoshi
Summary: In order to keep the people he loves safe, Eliot has to sacrifice himself to his worst enemy. That one sacrifice doesn't leave him unscathed. And now he's more afraid than ever. Parker/Eliot; Angst; NO CHARACTER DEATHS!
1. Chapter 1

**Another story! Yayyyyyy. I hope you enjoy! Please review :)**

 ****Announcement: there won't be a sequel for** **Broken** **. I have attempted to write it multiple times but nothing has really worked. If you guys have any good ideas, please leave it in the reviews or PM me. I know people have been wanting the sequel, but at the moment, I don't have anything ready for it.**

 **Again, please enjoy this fic!**

* * *

"Eliot never fought anyone with a nerf sword, Hardison," Nate was saying as he, the hacker, Sophie, and Parker were waiting to get to their base in the HQ's elevator.

"I'm telling you," Hardison argued. "The man did it. I'm positive."

Nate chuckled, exchanging glances with Sophie.

The elevator doors opened, and the team stepped inside their HQ, only to see a soaked Eliot lying on the ground, covered in blood.

"Eliot!" Sophie exclaimed, darting towards the bloody hitter.

Eliot moaned, wincing away from Sophie's touch. He began shivering violently, unconsciously grabbing for his shoulder.

"Eliot, what happened?" he heard Nate ask; he couldn't even reply. He could only whimper with pain.

He felt himself getting pulled up, and then he was on the couch, somebody helping him take his wet shirt off.

The team gasped when seeing two bullets sitting in Eliot's flesh- one in his shoulder, the other in his abdomen. Heavy bruises covered his chest, and bloody cuts covered those.

"We gotta get those bullets out," Nate stated.

"Oh man, oh man," Hardison muttered over and over, his hands flailing above the hitter, unsure of what to do.

"Hardison, back up," Nate said, physically pushing the hacker out of the way and kneeling down next to the couch. Sophie appeared and took over, leading the tall man into the kitchen and settling him at the counter with a can of orange soda. She sat with him as Nate and Parker took charge of tending to the hitter.

Eliot's eyes opened and closed every once in awhile as Nate cut his ruined shirts off, peeling them away from the wounds, which were still seeping blood.

"Sophie, put some sheets and blankets into the dryer, we need to get him warm," he called to her, and the grifter jumped up and headed into the laundry room.

"Nate, what can I do?" Hardison asked.

"For now, nothing. Maybe try to track down his movements, see who did this to him."

"On it." They heard furious clicking as the hacker dived into his computers.

Parker looked back to Nate to see him pulling on sterile gloves, then palpating the wound on his shoulder. The mastermind daubed it with gauze to mop up some of the blood, then flushed it with sterile water and then alcohol. Eliot bucked a little as the wound bubbled and Parker held his shoulder down to the pillow.

"It's okay, Eliot," she whispered into his ear, nudging his wet hair out of his face. "It's us, we're trying to help. We have to get that bullet out."

She heard him groan and his head nodded jerkily, and she hoped that that meant he understood.

He went stiff under her hands then, a keen coming from between his clenched lips. Looking down to where Nate was working, she saw that he had a probe inserted into the wound, looking for the bullet. Eliot's hands gripped the couch cushions so hard she was afraid he was going to rip them open until she heard Nate's soft, "Found it."

He inserted a forceps and grabbed the bullet, pulling it out steadily so he didn't lose it in the muscle. The hitter's body was taut and unyielding, held still by sheer force of will. The bullet finally came free and Eliot cried out softly, panting with the effort of not lashing out.

Nate did the same thing with the bullet in his abdomen, but this time he had to be much more careful. Any wrong movement could have gotten the poor hitter even more hurt.

Finally, Nate found it and got it out, "Okay, okay, the bullet's out," he said. "I'll wrap both of them and then we can work on getting him warmed up. Parker, go ahead and take off his jeans."

The thief squeaked, looking at Nate with wide eyes.

"Go on, you've done this already many times before. Not just to Eliot. Besides, we have to get his wet clothes off so we can get him dry. Now hurry."

Shaking herself out of her surprise, her nimble fingers made quick work of his jeans button and zipper, then she worked at getting them off of his heavily muscled legs. By the time she'd managed to get them and his boots and socks off, Nate had bandaged the wounds and Sophie had come out with a soft, warmed blanket right out of the dryer.

They managed to bundle Eliot up in the blanket without jostling him too much and then Parker curled up at the end of the couch, his head in her lap as she toweled and brushed his long, silky hair.

In about twenty minutes, Eliot's shivering began to calm down, shudders taking over his body every once in awhile instead. Soon enough, Parker fell asleep as well, but she refused to leave her spot.

She was woken up when he heard shuffling, and then a light moan. She gasped awake, her eyes darting at Eliot. The hitter had his head against the edge of the couch, his hand holding onto his shoulder.

"You alright Sparky?" Parker asked, looking at him with caution.

Eliot grunted in return.

Parker scooted close to him, letting her head fall on his chest. "Tell me what happened." she said, taking his hand.

"It was a… surprise… attack," Eliot began, his voice shaking. "I was… on my," He swallowed, grunting with pain. "Way here. Men came… up to… me. Said an old… friend wanted… to see me. When I didn't cooperate," He smiled at that word. "They… attacked me. Got a… lucky shot in two… places. And beat me… up. I… finally managed… to get away but got unlucky. A car… ran into me… knocking me… into the Boston Harbour. I got out… and ran here. And then… the rest… you know." His breath hitched, and his body tensed; he was trying to fight off the pain.

"But who was after you?" Sophie asked; she and Hardison had come into the room, listening to Eliot's slurred story intently.

Eliot looked up, fear in his eyes. "Damien… Moreau." he replied in a quiet, low voice.

The room went silent, so silent you could hear a pin drop.

"Damien Moreau?" Nate finally asked.

Eliot nodded; his skin was suddenly so pale, sweat beading all over his handsome face.

Parker pulled him closer to her, feeling him tremble in her embrace.

"Hardison, set up an alarm system as quickly as possible," Nate said. "I don't want to have Eliot go to a safe house. Anything can happen with Moreau and I would rather he be here."  
"You got it." the hacker replied with his baritone voice. He ran for his computer, getting his brand new, top of the line alarm system ready.

"Eliot, how about you get some rest?" Sophie asked gently. "After everything you've been through, you need it."

Eliot stood up slowly, shrugging off his blankets, showing off his muscular, battered body. He nodded, trudging over to his room. He changed into a pair of sweats and a t-shirt, a task that proved to be very hard and painful to complete. When finally done, he washed himself and then walked back into the main rooms. He walked into the kitchen, grabbing a cold bottle of beer from the fridge. He chugged half of it, then walked back to the living room again, sitting down on the couch.

"So what's the plan?" he asked.

"Eliot, you have to get some rest," Sophie said. "You've been through so much and now you want to just-"

"I'm fine!" Eliot interrupted. "I just want to stop this bastard and get it all over with. I'll be fine."

Suddenly, Hardison's computer started ringing, which made the hitter jump up. He looked up at Hardison's screen and saw Moreau's face pop into focus. He took a step back, as if afraid that bastard was going to come out of the screen and go after him. Again.

"Moreau," Nate's calm voice said. "Moreau, what do you want."

"Eliot Spencer," the warlord replied. "I want your Eliot Spencer in my custody."

"No way in hell, are we gonna hand over Eliot to you." Hardison quickly answered. Eliot could tell, just by his stance, that he was glaring at the man on his screen.

"You had better give him to me, Nathan Ford," Moreau continued. "It would be in your best interest-"

"Or you'll do what?" Parker screamed, looking back at Eliot, who was staring at Moreau with anger. But when their eyes met, Parker could see the terror that lingered in those beautiful blue orbs. "You can't do anything to us even if you tried."

"Oh you don't want to know what I can do," Moreau said, smirking. That one smirk brought heavy shudders up Eliot's spine. "I can have the entire world against the five of you in seconds."

"So where do you want to meet?" Eliot suddenly asked.

All heads turned to him, even Moreau's.

"The bridge right above Boston Harbour. You have twenty four hours. I don't really know Boston too well yet, so I would rather go to a place where I feel more comfortable. I know you don't. How are you doing anyway? I hope my men didn't pound you too hard."

Eliot growled, coming closer to the screen. "I'll be there." he snarled, smashing Hardison's computer. The screen blanked, and the team was left alone.

"The hell was that?" Hardison asked, his pitch high. "Number one, that was my computer! Number two, you are NOT giving yourself up to him! You can't."

"Hardison, if I don't give myself up, Moreau will go after you. He could kill you! All of you!" Eliot yelled. "And I can't lose anymore people to him." He let his voice go down to a whisper and he hung his head, his hands clenching into fists.

"Anymore?" Parker asked slowly.

Eliot looked up. "Emily Evans," he began. "Jackie Williams, Chris Williams, Kate Spencer," He choked on that word. "Were all Moreau's victims. Each time I did something wrong, he would punish me. Sometimes, I failed him so badly, he would kill people that I loved. And the people I just named were just the start of it. I-" His voice faded as his memories came back to him. He took a deep breath and continued, "I lost so many people that way."

He quickly shook himself out of his thoughts and took another deep breath. "I have to go," he continued. "As the hitter of the team I have to keep you all safe. And I'll do whatever it takes to do it."

"We need another plan," Nate said. "Sophie, Hardison, Parker, let's see what we can do."

The team nodded, about to leave the room. But Parker stayed. Slowly, she walked over to the hitter and looked him over. Finally, she stepped back, not taking her eyes off of him.

"Parker-" Eliot said.

Suddenly, the small thief wrapped her arms around him. Eliot gasped, but returned the hug. He buried his face in her shoulder inhaling her sweet scent of jasmine soap. Parker placed her hand on his head, kissing his cheek. "Everything will be okay," she whispered. "Just trust us."

With that, she stepped away, making her way to where the rest of the team was trying to make a plan.

.

.

.

"Eliot?"

The hitter turned around, seeing Parker standing behind him, her eyes glossed with tears.

The team had finished going over their new plan, and after a long argument, Eliot agreed to follow through with it. Little did the team know, that he had other plans.

"Parker," he said, opening his arms.

The blonde ran into his open hug, holding on to him as tightly as she possibly could.

"Eliot, please, don't do this," she cried. "You can't do this."

"I have to, darlin', I have to," Eliot replied, looking around his room. "I can't get any of you hurt. It's my job."

"Your job is to protect us, and keep yourself alive. This one job may get you killed." she said.

Eliot kissed the top of her head. "Parker, I have to."

"No you don't," she answered, clutching the back of his head with her hand. "Eliot, if the plan goes wrong, Moreau will most likely try to kill you. And what if we can't get you back? I'm not losing you. I can't lose you."

Eliot pulled the thief away from him, staring into her tear-filled eyes. "I will always be with you, Parker," he whispered. "Always."

Slowly, Parker leaned in closer, her lips pressing against his. Unknowingly, she deepened the kiss, and so did he. He ran his hand through her long hair, deepening the kiss even further. When it ended, Parker stepped away, placing the back of her hand over her mouth, sighing.

"Are you still leaving?" she quietly asked.

Eliot nodded. "Yeah, darlin'. I am."

She stepped closer to him, planting a final kiss on his lips and leaving the room.

The hitter stood still, trying to grasp everything that had happened. After a few moments, he shook himself out of his trance and took off his shirt, shoving it onto the ground. He threw himself on his bed, staring at the ceiling.

That entire night was filled with non-stop nightmares and memories of his past. Nightmares and memories that he just couldn't escape from. As he lay there, tossing and turning, he thought about what Moreau was going to do to him if- no, when- he caught him.

When he finally did manage to escape from his mental torture chamber, Eliot shot up, sweat inching down his face. He sighed, getting out of his bed and starting to walk towards the room's door. But his legs couldn't- wouldn't- carry him; he collapsed onto the ground, moaning.

When finally calming down, Eliot stood up and started making his way to the living room, forced to use the walls to hold him upright. After getting dressed, he walked into the living room, seeing Nate sitting on the couch, a bottle of whiskey in his hand, a book in his lap.

When he saw Eliot, he closed his book and looked his hitter in the eye.

"You alright?" Nate asked.

He grunted in return. He picked his head up, looking at Nate. "Nate, what if this doesn't work?" he asked.

"It will. It has to."

"But what if it doesn't work, Nate?" Eliot asked again, this time harsher.

"We'll find another way, then." Nate simply replied.

"No, Nate," Eliot said. "Don't look for me. Don't you dare look for me. Any of you."

"Eliot-"

"Nate, promise me you won't. I can't have any of you hurt." Eliot said. Especially Parker." he added quietly, the kiss he had shared with the beautiful thief popping into his head.

The mastermind fell silent, then sighed, and then replied, "Eliot, I can't promise you anything. If you get caught we will monitor what will be happening. But if it gets to the point where we know that you're in trouble, we're getting you out of there. I am not letting one of my team members get hurt. You in particular."

Eliot nodded.

"No matter who you might have been in your past, you're our Eliot," Nate said. "And no matter what, we will always be there for you. Remember that."

Eliot nodded again.

Silence took over the room as he and Nate sat there, in their own thoughts. Finally, it was morning, and now the team had to perform a task that they knew would be hard on each of them.

* * *

 **I hope you enjoyed the first chapter of this fic. I've been writing this one for a couple of months now so I have a couple of chapters ready in advance.**

 **Once again, there is NO SEQUEL for "Broken." If you do want one, please review your thoughts or PM me. I need ideas.**

 **Also, one of the fics that I am currently writing, "How It All Began," needs requests in order for the story to go on. Make sure to check it out and give me some ideas. Thank you! :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Second chapter! Enjoy!**

 **Once again, please review and request! Thanks :)**

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It had begun to rain when the team made it to the Boston Harbor. Moreau hadn't arrived yet, so Eliot was waiting, Parker at his side. He was holding her close to him, his arm wrapped around her small form, as he looked around his surroundings, waiting for Moreau.

In the distance, Hardison was sitting in Lucille, while Nate and Sophie were discussing their plans.

"He loves her, you know," Sophie was saying, looking at the hitter and the thief. "And she loves him."

"Yeah, I do," Nate replied. "So if he doesn't make it, Parker will be devastated."

"So this plan has to work, doesn't it?"

"Yeah, it does."

Right at that time, a truck arrived, stopping a few feet away from Eliot.

The young man gave Parker a final kiss on the head before pushing her away, whispering something in her ear. The blonde ran to her teammates, feeling tears stream down her cheeks.

"What did he say?" Sophie asked.

"'I'm sorry,'" Parker answered, jumping into the grifter's arms.

Sophie looked at Nate and realized that Eliot wasn't going to go through with the plan as she let Parker sob in her arms, pulling her into a tighter hug.

They all watched as Eliot was searched, and when a guard found a dagger in his boot, they all held their breath in fear of what was about to happen.

The guard flipped the pocket knife open and used it to make three long slices on Eliot's shirt. The hitter grunted, feeling warm blood trickle down his chest. The next thing he knew, his shirt was off, and two more cuts now covered his chest.

He silently cursed at himself for bringing the knife, since now, Moreau's men knew that he was hurt. Badly.

The guard suddenly placed his hand onto his shoulder and squeezed so hard, Eliot couldn't hold in a groan. He fell to his knees, the pain intensifying every second.

"Eliot!" Parker screamed, trying to get out of Sophie's grasp but unable to.

The guard suddenly pulled Eliot up, ignoring the other man's quiet moan. Another car arrived, and out came Moreau. He slowly walked up to Eliot, looking him over.

He forced him to his feet, studying his former hitter carefully. Eliot's eyes were blank; he closed them, slowly nodding. Moreau turned him around, and the next thing Eliot knew, heavy chains wrapped around his wrists.

"No, Eliot," Parker cried. "No!"

Eliot glanced at her, his expression sad and distant. And from that moment, the team all saw how vulnerable Eliot was. And it was all because of them. He was forced to let himself get caught just for them. So they would stay safe. A feeling of guilt passed over each thief.

Moreau pushed the young man towards the truck, pushing him into the vehicle. Eliot looked at his team one last time before Moreau punched him so hard, he was forced into darkness, letting out a small cry before collapsing.

"Eliot!" Parker yelled.

Moreau turned around and smirked at the thief, beginning to walk towards his car.

The next thing they all knew, every vehicle was gone… and so was Eliot. Their Eliot.

"No," Parker said quietly, standing up, unsure her legs would carry her. "He didn't follow the plan. Why?"

"Because he didn't want us to get hurt," Nate replied sadly. "It's his job."

"We have to get him out of there," Parker begged. "We have to-"

"And we will, Parker," Sophie said. "We just need time to figure something out, find a way to get him out safely. I promise we'll help him."

"And I already have a plan," said Hardison. "So come on and let's get our Eliot out."

Parker nodded, walking over to the hacker and wrapping her arms around him.

Nate and Sophie quickly exchanged a worried glance and started following their two youngest thieves back to the HQ.

.

.

.

Parker burst into a small, dark room, her eyes searching frantically for Eliot.

Three months had passed since Eliot's capture, and finally, the team knew that it was time to rescue him. Their plan went perfectly, and now it was up to to Parker to locate him, and bring him back.

When she finally found him, she darted towards him, looking him over: the man was covered in scratches, burns, and knife wounds. His arm was bandaged, blood seeping through- a bullet wound. He was sitting against a wall, his hand around his bare ribs. His eyes were bloodshot and wide open, clearly showing that he hadn't slept in days.

"Eliot, it's me," Parker said gently, taking his hand. "I'm here, you're going to be alright. We're gonna get you home."

"Par- Parker?" His voice was hoarse, his vocal chords most likely damaged.

"Yeah, Eliot, I'm here. You're gonna be okay, I got you." Parker replied, carefully helping him stand up.

The hitter moaned, almost falling back to the ground. "Parker?" he asked again, his voice cracking.

"Let's just get you home, Eliot," Parker said, giving him a small kiss; he was too weak to even return it.

They slowly began making their way out of Moreau's prison, and once finally making it outside, they saw Lucille. They saw the team, waiting patiently for their hitter to come home.

All of a sudden, a gunshot blasted through the silence, and Parker heard Eliot's light scream echo through her head. The young man fell to the ground, clutching to his chest.

"Eliot! No!" Parker exclaimed, kneeling down beside him.

A bullet now sat in his chest, blood seeping through.

Parker looked up and saw Moreau in front of her, a gun in his hand. He walked up to her, grinning. "You can give up trying," he said. "There's no point."  
"Don't touch him!" Parker cried.

Moreau leaned in closer, whispering, "You will never get your precious hitter back."

In seconds, Eliot was gone, and Parker belatedly realized that they had failed. She stood up and slowly walked towards the team, in shock.

"We failed?" she whispered, his voice thin.

Nate nodded. "Yeah, we did."

The thief cried out, falling into Hardison's arms. "We failed." she said, crying.

.

.

.

Moreau threw Eliot back into his cell, chaining him to a wall. "Know this, Spencer," he said. "You will never be able to escape. Your team will never be able to get you out of here. Remember that."

Eliot looked up, glaring at Moreau. "Go to Hell." he whispered, spitting onto the ground.

Slowly, he felt his eyes close and he didn't see nothing but darkness.

.

.

.

One year Later...

When Parker found Eliot, the hitter was hanging, from chains, in a freezing, empty room. When she opened the room's metal door, she was engulfed in a wave of cold. She slowly walked in, her eyes falling on the shirtless man chained in front of her; she gasped.

Eliot's chains went around his wrists, connecting to the ceiling, just high enough so his feet didn't touch the ground. Even though he was asleep, his body shivered with cold, small grunts coming out of his mouth. Small icicles were forming in his hair, coming to life right in front of her eyes. His body was covered with injuries of all sorts: bullet holes, knife punctures, whip lashes, burns, both from fire and electrocution, cuts, bruises, and worst of all… scars… so many of them. One big one was on his chest, right below his heart; long slices that looked like they were made by a sharp object, swiped up and down the hitter's skin.

Parker shuddered and dashed to him, quickly picking the locks on the chains and catching him, amazed at how much lighter he was since the last time she saw him. "Hey," she said, not even recognizing her own voice. "Hey, Eliot, it's me. You're alright… everything's gonna be alright. You're safe now, I got you." She carefully helped him out of the freezing room, holding her Eliot in her arms. In a couple of minutes, Parker got Eliot out of Moreau's prison once more, helping him into Lucille.

When Eliot tried to open his eyes, dizziness took hold of him. He quickly shut his eyes, unable to stop a quiet moan coming out of his mouth. His breath hitched as the two women of the team began trying to mend whatever they could. While Sophie was treating his wounds, Parker ran her fingers through Eliot's hair, softly murmuring into his ear, trying to calm him down. Everytime he winced or groaned, she took his hand and gave it a light squeeze, assuring him that everything was going to be alright… although, at this point, she wasn't even sure it was going to be alright.

Finally, Sophie had finished doing everything she could to help Eliot, reached into a bag and grabbing a water bottle, helping Eliot drink some, then leaving the exhausted hitter to rest. Parker gathered him into an embrace, trying to keep him as comfortable as possible.

When the team finally arrived at the HQ, the team managed to get Eliot into his room, helping him onto his bed, deciding that sleep would be the best way to help him.

Parker never left his side…


	3. Chapter 3

**Third Chapter! I hope you like it.**

 **Please make sure to review and request! ;)**

* * *

Parker never left his side. Whenever Eliot was having nightmares, or was getting ambushed by memories, she sat beside him, helping him calm down. At the end, she gave up and laid down beside him, running her hand over his hair.

When he finally woke up, he woke up with a gasp, his eyes flying around his surroundings. When his eyes met her's, he sighed, closing them.

"Hey," Parker said.

"Hey," His voice was quiet, barely even a whisper.

"How are you feeling?"

Eliot grunted, sitting up against the bed's backboard. Parker noticed that his eyes had become dull, the bright blue now gone and replaced with grey.

"Parker," he muttered, his expression pained. "Parker, I-"

Parker placed her finger on his lips, pushing him away from her. "For now, you need rest. How about you wash up? Then we'll talk."

He nodded, slowly getting up. He held onto his ribs as he walked into the room's bathroom, and then Parker heard the sound of water rushing. When Eliot came back out, he had a shirt and pair of jeans on; his hair was damp, falling over his broad shoulders. Wounds were still seen on his arms, in places his shirt didn't cover, and Parker shivered at the look of them. He sat back down on the bed, running his hand through his beautiful wet locks.

Parker crawled over to him, placing her hand on his shoulder. Eliot turned to her, his blue eyes locking with hers. Parker leaned in, about to kiss him, when he pulled back, looking away. He then stood up, and walked out of the room, making his way to the living room, where the team was waiting.

When their hitter walked in, they all stood up, their eyes going to the wounds on his body.

Parker had came into the kitchen as well, looking around the room of thieves.

"Eliot?" Nate asked.

He didn't reply, sitting down on a chair beside Hardison, who reached his hand out, his eyes filled with fear. The young man quickly took his brother's hand, sighing.

"Welcome back, man," Hardison whispered.

A wave of pain and nausea suddenly washed over Eliot, and he couldn't hold in a small whimper. Parker ran over to him, helping him up. "He needs rest," she explained, leading him out of the room.

"I was fine Parker," Eliot said. "I could have-"

"Eliot, you have been tortured and tormented for the past year," Parker interrupted. "And now you expect yourself to just jump back up. You need rest. You might think that your top priority is the team, but right now, your priority is to get rest and heal."

Eliot fell silent, his gaze traveling to the ground. Parker cupped his cheek, staring into his expressionless eyes. "Get some sleep," she whispered. "Please,"

He finally gave in and nodded, letting Parker help him lay down. Parker sat next to him, leaning against the bed's backboard, her fingers running through the hitter's long hair. As she watched him sleep, she thought of how peaceful he looked.

After a couple of minutes, Parker kissed him and cuddled up beside him, holding onto his hand.

.

.

.

"I do need you alive, Spencer," Moreau said, looking at the broken man in front of him. "But there are different ways of being… 'alive.'"

With that the man picked his right arm up and brought it down, the long whip he was holding slamming against Eliot's back.

Eliot gasped, groaning from the severe pain that took over his body.

Another hit.

Another cry.

"Enjoying yourself, Moreau?" he asked through gritted teeth.

"Very," Moreau replied, hitting Eliot again.

The hitter collapsed onto the ground, but Moreau kept going.

Finally, it was too much.

The hitter screamed in agony, passing out…

.

.

.

"...Eliot!" Parker said, trying to wake the poor man up.

He quickly gasped awake, his eyes growing wide. His hand reached to touch his side, where the whip's end had curled; he gasped softly.

He sighed with sudden relief, remembering that it was all over, that he was safe. He looked back to Parker, who was patiently waiting for him to return to her.

His body began to tremble violently, the memory of the whip burning into his skin coming back to him. He felt Parker place a gentle hand on his arm, trying to assure him that he was alright. The hitter suddenly leaned in and buried his head in the crook of her neck. Parker gentle stroked his face and hair, trying to calm him down.

"It's alright," she soothed. "Everything is okay, I promise you. You're here, Moreau can't get you."

The hitter whimpered.

Parker forced him to look at her, locking her eyes with his. "I'm gonna go talk to the team," she whispered. "You're safe Eliot. Nothing and no one can hurt you, I promise,"

She stood up, squeezing his hand. "I'll be right back," she said.

As Parker walked into the living room, tears welled up in her eyes. "Nate," she cried.

"Parker?" Nate asked. "What's wrong?"

"He's so scared, Nate," Parker began. "Moreau broke him. Eliot thinks he's gonna go after him again. He's afraid. I've never seen him like this. And I feel terrible for not being able to help him, convince him, that he's okay. That he's safe. The way he looks at me… oh God, Nate, I don't know what to do."

Nate quickly wrapped his arms around her, letting her cry her heart out.

"He's just dealing with aftershock, Parker," he said. "He's gonna be alright,"

"Nate, how much has he gone through?" Parker asked. "Not just with Moreau? And now, all of a sudden, he's falling apart? What could Moreau possibly have done to him to make him like this? So… scared… and vulnerable."

"He reminded him of his past," Nate answered. "Everything that Eliot wanted to forget, Moreau reminded him of it. That's why he's so out of it. Moreau did break him, and in the worst way possible."

Tears streamed down Parker's cheeks. She thought about Eliot, the fear in his eyes making her cry more.

"Eliot's much stronger than any of us, Parker," Nate continued. "He's going to heal. He's going to be okay."

"I don't know, Nate," Parker said. "From the way he was acting… it doesn't look like it. It really doesn't."

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 **Sorry this was shorter than normal. I hope you still enjoyed. Please, make sure to review and request! THANK YOU! :)**


	4. Chapter 4

**Last chapter! I know that this story went rather fast, but as I said before, I already had a couple of chapters ready in advance. In my opinion, this chapter is not the best, but I'm still gonna use it because it gives the story a nice ending. This chapter is also rather short, like the last one, so I apologize for that.**

 **I think I'm actually going to make a sequel for this story. What do you guys think? Review or PM me your thoughts. If you guys have any ideas for a story I could write, please, don't hesitate to tell me.**

 **I also wanna thank you guys for all the positive feedback you guys have given me. Two people reviewed and I was so thankful for the support you have given me. So, thank you all for that! =)**

* * *

About three weeks past since Eliot's captivity with Moreau. During that time, he seemed to have healed, although now, he seemed distant, and fragile. He was quiet, completed jobs with no comments, and had no interest in getting his and Parker's relationship back on track.

Parker recognized this, but decided to give the hitter time instead. She wanted him to be the one to come back. She didn't want to force it all on him. She knew she needed to give him time... but she didn't know how much time he really needed.

At times. she thought about whether or not Eliot even wanted to come back to her. But she forced herself to not think about it. She knew Eliot, and she knew that he was going to come back. He had to. He just needed time.

.

.

.

 _"Eliot?" Parker asked, stopping the hitter in the parking lot while he was on his way to his truck, about to go home._

 _He slowly turned around, looking at the thief with sad and distant eyes. "Parker, I need to get going. I have-"_

 _"Eliot, please, talk to me," Parker interrupted. "I need to know why you're barely even speaking to me. What's wrong?"_

 _Eliot sighed. A sudden boom of thunder struck the sky, making both of them jump. Now, something was definitely wrong, Parker thought. Eliot never jumps… or flinches… or gets caught off guard. "I can't… be with you, Parker," Eliot began. "It's not safe for you. Everywhere I go, I hurt someone. Like I hurt you. I don't want to do that again. I can't… do that again,"_

 _"But it's my choice," Parker replied. "And I've chosen. I've chosen you. I want you. I love you, Eliot,"_

 _The hitter fell silent. He looked around his surroundings; a slight drizzle was in play. He looked back at Parker, shaking his head, tears glossing his eyes. All of a sudden, he charged at her, picking up her head and smashing her lips against her own. Parker gasped, immediately kissing him back and placing her hands on his forearms. Eliot hungrily went after her mouth, a moan escaping his lips, the sound low from his throat. Parker gasped for air, her hands going around his neck, her nails digging into his back._

 _The drizzle turned into a heavy storm; but the two thieves didn't care. They just kept on kissing._

 _Eliot pushed Parker against an alley wall, kissing her over and over again. Parker pulled away and cupped his face, throwing her head against the wall, needing a break. She looked at Eliot, who looked back at her._

 _Her lips were swollen from kissing him, and her hair was a soaked mess. Her eyes were wide, as if she couldn't believe this was actually happening. She placed a hand on Eliot's cheek, coming to kiss him one more time._

 _"Come on," she said. "Let's get outta here,"_

 _He nodded. "Yeah,"_

 _They jumped into Eliot's truck, arriving at Eliot's home. Right when they shut the door, Eliot took off his shirt, throwing it God knows where, beginning to kiss her again. Parker pushed him towards his bedroom, pausing to take her own top off. She pushed him on the bed, landing on top of him, crashing her lips down on his._

 _Eliot groaned, his hands on her waist, traveling to her back…_

The young man gasped awake, covered in sweat. He ran a shaking hand through his hair, realizing that it was all a dream. He sighed. He knew what he know had to do…

.

.

.

Eliot walked into the bar; Parker was just about to walk upstairs to the HQ, when she saw him. She smiled weakly, waving at him.

The hitter marched towards her, cupping her face and leaning down, his lips capturing hers.

He pushed her against a wall, but instead of kissing her with the hunger he had in his dream, he was kissing her gently, as if waiting for permission.

Parker slowly deepened the kiss, one hand going into his hair, the other on his shoulder.

After a couple of minutes, the two thieves separated, looking at each other.

"What was that for?" Parker asked breathlessly.

"I'm sorry, Parker," Eliot replied. "For taking so long to come back to you."

Parker caressed his face with her hand. "I'm just glad you're with me now," she whispered.

She brought her lips up to his, kissing him one more time. When they pulled away again, they smiled at each other, and then went upstairs for the briefing, holding hands.

.

.

.

Both the briefing and the job went well; the team completed it rather quickly. When it was all over and done with, Parker and Eliot decided to go back to Eliot's home. Right when Eliot shut the door, Parker jumped on him, her legs wrapping around his waist, her mouth on his.

Eliot laughed softly, kissing her back. The next thing they knew, they were on the bed, kissing and laughing. Parker was amazed at how their bodies seemed to fit together… like missing puzzle pieces finally put together.

When the passion between them simmered, they laid in bed together, Parker's head on Eliot's chest, Eliot's arm wrapped around her small form.

"Eliot?" Parker asked.

"Hmm?"

"What changed your mind?"

"You did darlin'," he replied, kissing the top of her head. "You changed my mind."

Parker laughed, looking up and kissing him. "No, really? What changed your mind?"

"I don't know," he said. "Just couldn't be without you any longer, I guess,"

They fell silent, just enjoying each other's presence.

Finally, Parker said, "I love you, Eliot,"

He smiled. "I love you too, darlin'."


End file.
